Discuss: A Walk in the Woods

What a beautiful article very thought provoking. when I was a child I had access to wildlife at my doorstep. Now I receive a rare glimpse and I always feel for the children who miss out on this wonderful experience.

Here’s an observation I have made over many decades.  Born in New York City I have lived in a rural part of southwestern Virginia and to my disappointment find that children who have been raised in countryside with creatures of all kinds which they have experienced very often have less sensitivity to nature and wildlife than city children, even those who like myself had little hands-on experience.  I also have found the new approach of encouraging children to handle and hold frogs and turtles, etc. does not necessarily generate respect for the creatures, as much as being with adults who care deeply, and may teach them to leave such beings alone to “live their own lives.”  I have been a kindergarten, art and nature teacher to children for over thirty years.  Thank you,  Alwyn Moss

I have found that some city kids have a deeper respect for animals and plants then the country folk.How do you teach Respect for the environment?
I remember I was listening to a lecture when a bunch of cockatoos flew over the classroom their screechs filled the room. It made me smile. But the lecturer was annoyed and said I wish those birds would shut up. From that second I stopped paying attention to my lecturer and started to write poetry about cockatoos. They only made a brief noise less then a minutes worth. I could not believe she complained. Especially as the subject she was teaching was Social Ecology!

Very true. Early in my career working at a nature center I would much prefer to teaches the classes from the city than the suburb. Sometimes it seems one appreciates and is intrigued more by what they don’t have.  Perhaps that is why New Jersey the most densely populated state in the nation has also legally protected more than most (as a percentage of total land area).

Given the premise of the article, is it fair to state that rural kids who grow up in families where hunting & fishing are the norm, are more attuned to nature, and, therefore, better adjusted than the child that grows up under house arrest?

From my experience, I would have to say, “yes.”  Although the hunting & fishing kids tend to see nature more from a consumptive standpoint, I’ve witnessed words like “beautiful,” “awesome,” etc. used when describing their quarry.

Is hunting & fishing, despite it’s consumptive nature, a better pathway to sound child adjustment than formal education which tends to have a far less experiential aspect to it?

What a wonderful article but I would like to echo Sharron’s comments: how do we teach children to respect and appreciate the environment? Even when children are exposed to nature and the natural world, many of them see it as consumers or as a waste of time. Yes, you get the occasional “little poet” but most of them do not see the point. Taking them into nature is not enough. We need to start building connections so that they see the impact they have. Some of us have been preaching this for decades. These kids are our future. If we cannot help them to experience nature and see it as an integral part of their daily lives, whether they are rural or urban dwellers, then these kids may not have planet to live upon in the future.

This article has certainly generated some interesting feedback. We need to find connections for the children. We need to understand the child their likes and dislikes and find the connection in nature. This will satisfy curiosity While developing further questions and wanting to preserve nature.

I found this article incredibly interesting. I am a children’s author and illustrator and mother of 3. It was my growing concern for the environment and the alarming statistics on children’s lack of exposure to the natural world that compelled me to do something to help.
I wanted to engage children at their level using my skills as an illustrator and author to captivate children in a magical way.
Marghanita Hughes
http://www.littlehumbugs.com